


Noses Full of Shit and Fists Full of Roses

by StagsInSilence



Series: Beyond Midnight [3]
Category: Adam (2009), Charlie Countryman (2013)
Genre: Adam doesn't like Darko, Darko and Nigel paint the town white, Gabi still doesn't like Nigel, M/M, Power Bottom Adam, Recreational Drug Use, because of all the coke
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-07
Updated: 2016-02-07
Packaged: 2018-04-29 08:18:47
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 14,691
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5121404
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StagsInSilence/pseuds/StagsInSilence
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Never in the house. <i>That was always the rule. But now that rule had been broken and Nigel struggled to figure out how to put it all back together again. “Adam is </i>never<i> going to forgive me…”</i></p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A Piece of Shit Comes To Visit

**Author's Note:**

  * For [drinkbloodlikewine](https://archiveofourown.org/users/drinkbloodlikewine/gifts), [whiskeyandspite](https://archiveofourown.org/users/whiskeyandspite/gifts).



> I moved this fic up in the order of this series to get back at wwhiskeyandbloodd for destroying me with their Daybreakers series (although this one is still Midnighters-verse). 
> 
> EDIT: This fic may be updated, but it is still vengeance for the heartbreak in Daybreakers.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _"There you are you son of a whore!"  
>  _Nigel nearly died right there.__

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> EDIT: This entire fic has been re-written because holy shit there were too many mistakes. Also I didn't like it.

It was getting really fucking cold in New York City. Too fucking cold if you asked Nigel as he trudged down the street with the groceries, hands burning and red from the wind that whipped around him. Cold, pissed off, and far too bored for anyone’s good, Nigel looked even more terrifying to the people of New York than usual. He made it to the apartment and glared at the doorman until the lazy bastard got off his fat ass to help with the door.

“Years. I’ve lived here for fucking _years_ and you won’t get off your ass to get the fucking door.”

The doorman knew it was a bad idea to fuck with Nigel on a good day, and it seemed that today was _not_ a good day. He resentfully let the angry man curse and glare in silence before Nigel stormed off to the elevator without making too much of a scene. It was an unspoken policy to keep the psycho happy so the rest of the tenants could carry on relatively peacefully.

Unless someone tangled with the other one… And with the noise that echoed down the hall, it would appear that someone had.

“Adam!” Nigel yelled, dropping the groceries in the hall and barging through the already open door. The gun that was always holstered at his back was out before the door hit the wall and Nigel checked his corners as he moved through the apartment. “Adam, where are you?!”

“Kitchen,” Adam called back, and Nigel listened carefully to the word, doing his best to analyze the tone. He wasn’t able to tell, and made his way to the kitchen, as ready for a fight as he’d ever be. He rounded the corner, gun at the ready, and –

“There you are, you fucker.”

Nigel nearly died right there.

“What took you so fucking long?”

Nigel tucked his gun back into its holster as he walked forward and spread his arms wide, “Darko, you son of a whore.” He embraced the other man warmly, actually laughing at his own paranoia.

“He refused to leave until you came home, Nigel. He has been here for three hours.”

“Lighten up, kiddo,” Darko said.

Nigel released his friend. “You sit your fucking ass down. And _you_ ,” Nigel turned to Adam, and kissed his cheek, “I’m sorry I was out so long.”

Adam made a small noise of displeasure and Nigel knew he was going to hear about it later. It wasn’t even close to a concern. It had been nearly a fucking decade since he had seen – or even heard from – Darko, his best fucking friend in the whole fucking world. The man was a dirty sleaze ball, but Nigel had often thought of him as his own flesh and blood. Adam could be as furious as he fucking wanted, it wouldn’t stop Nigel from being happy to see his prick of a friend.

“Where’s your beer?”

“What? Oh. Hallway. Give me a hand if you want some. You left the goddamn door open and I nearly had a fucking heart attack.”

“Sounds like this one’s got you more whipped than Gabi did,” Darko got up and clapped Adam on the back, making him jump so high he nearly fell out of his seat. “Getting fucking groceries and shit like you’re Nigel the fucking house wife.”

Nigel flipped him off and went back to the hallway to gather the groceries he dropped. Darko promptly followed, but leaned against the doorway to watch – smug fucking bastard.

“I’d appreciate it if you kept Gabi out of the conversation,” Nigel said after a moment.

“Why? You still in love with her?”

“Don’t make me fucking punch you, Darko.”

“Nigel, I don’t see you in fucking years and then I find you shacked up with some twink? Hey, hey, hey! Don’t give me that fucking look, he’s a nice kid, if a little jumpy. I’m just curious.”

Nigel sighed as he finished gathering up the last of the bags. “Adam doesn’t know about Gabi. And I’d prefer to keep it that way, man. He doesn’t need to hear about all that shit.”

“And by ‘that shit’ you mean the –“

“Yes, Darko. He doesn’t need to know what happened. Any of it. Bucharest was a long fucking time ago and I don’t want to fucking think about it.”

“That hurts my feelings.”

“Feeling? Christ, Darko, I thought you had balls.”

“There’s my Nigel.”

“I didn’t know you were fucking queer either.”

“Look who’s fucking talking.”

The two of them laughed and went back into the apartment. Nigel made a note that Adam was no longer in the kitchen, but it was on the back burner as beers were cracked open and smokes were lit. As they talked, Nigel learned just how busy Darko had been back home in Bucharest. He ran most of the city’s underground deals, his clubs were thriving, and he’d even reached a point where cops were finding spots on his payroll. Nigel was impressed and… maybe a little jealous?

Darko went to the fridge and helped himself to another beer while Nigel looked around the apartment he’d come to call home. The high ceilings and clean hardwood floors, the matching kitchen appliances with the fucking Swiffer in the corner, the knickknacks lining the windowsill… it made Nigel growl in his throat and throw back the rest of his beer.

“It’s fucking weird, man. Seeing you in a place like this rather than a shit box safe-house. I was surprised when I got the address.”

“It’s not _that_ fucking weird…” Nigel shook himself from his thoughts. “How _did_ you get this address?”

“A little birdy told me. Your boy toy has quite the reputation when it comes to those computer skills.”

Nigel glared, paranoia leaking into him again.

“Relax, Nigel, fuck. Being a house pet has made you more paranoid than you were before. I had Marina look into it. You remember her, yeah?”

“The escort?”

Darko held up his hand, “My fucking wife.”

Nigel smirked at the shiny gold ring, “Now who’s the fucking house pet.”

“Still you, Nigel _Ibanescu_. The fuck is that, man?”

“Fuck off. We’re still on the part where you knocked up a fucking escort and then married her.”

“I’m a goddamn gentleman, what can I say?”

“You could tell me what the fuck you’re doing in New York.”

“Didn’t I do that already? Shit,” Darko grinned. It was the slimy grin he got when he was scheming. Nigel had seen it a thousand times over in strip clubs and dark alleys, and knew exactly what it meant. “Call it mostly pleasure with a bit of business to make it worth my while.”

Nigel raised an eyebrow and lit another smoke, “I’m listening.”

“Coke. A lot of it and it’s pure. I’m willing for an event split for just the two of us if you help me move it.”

“Back to Romania?”

“Damn right.”

“And your guy?”

“Clean as your goddamn apartment, Nigel. He’s the supplier so we’re skipping the part where we deal with some jackass pusher.”

Nigel mulled it over, taking a long drag on the cigarette. Right from the source meant there was less of a change of problems, especially if it was only Nigel and Darko going in on it. “How much are we looking at?”

“Money or coke?”

“Fucking both, Darko.”

“A shit ton.”

Nigel rolled his eyes.

“We’re looking at twenty-five kilos. This guy had it already to go to Copenhagen but the Serbian cocksucker he was using as a middleman pissed off some Dane called the Duke. Now he’s got nearly four million worth of coke and nothing to do with it.”

“I don’t follow.”

“The Serb paid and ran. I’m using this to my advantage to pay half of the original go price and selling it triple.”

“Don’t try and fuck with numbers, Darko. You want my help with the guy, you’ve got it. But if you need help with the transport, then you’ve got to get Adam on your side. He’s the fucking brains of our operation.”

Darko groaned, “Nigel, don’t do this to me! Look, I can promise you three point eight.”

Nigel just stared at him.

“Christ, Nigel, you want me to say it fucking slowly? Three point eight _million_.”

Nigel smirked, “That’s more like it. When’s the meet-up? Adam clearly doesn’t like you, so it’ll take time to win him over.”

“I want to get this cocaine to Bucharest without problems, not get my fucking dick sucked by your boy toy.”

“Watch it, Darko.”

“You know what I fucking mean. Meet’s on Friday night and I leave Sunday morning. Plan is you come with me to the club, sample the goods, and that will give you at least twelve fucking hours to get the crate numbers and ship it same time I leave.”

That gave Nigel a little over twenty-six hours to convince Adam to take the job. Lately they’d been making hundreds of thousands in deals, so an extra four million wasn’t going to hurt. Plus it was just one of the many perks that came from running with a guy like Darko. Nigel had missed running wild more than he thought, and seeing his old friend was bringing back all the memories. It had been a fucking _age_ since he’d felt the thrill of a good deal done in the back room of a divey strip club and now he was hungry for it. A good fight, a nice pair of tits, and some rails of the good shit. It would be just like old times.

“Well?”

Nigel smiled, “Let me talk to Adam. He might enjoy a change from our usual headache jobs.”

It was Darko’s turn to raise an eyebrow.

“We’ve got out own operation. Recently expanded into guns and shit, and it’s turning quite the profit. My idea and Adam ran with it. Nothing fancy, but it’s good shit. Kid may have his quirks, but Christ can he work the system.”

Darko seemed impressed, “We’ll have to see how this goes down. Maybe I’ll put you to work helping me out.”

“Win _him_ over first,” Nigel indicated towards the hallway as he stood. “For now let me try and do the convincing. And get the fuck out of my apartment so Adam doesn’t throw a fucking fit about dinner being late.”

If Darko was impressed before, he now seemed skeptical and made a whip cracking sound to punctuate his unspoken point.

“Fuck off. He’s particular about routine.”

“Alright, alright, I’m fucking going,” Darko smiled and raised his hands in defense. “I’ll pick you up before the meet, so you’d better be fucking ready.”

“Yeah.”

“I mean it. Oh, one more thing. For what it’s worth, man, he’s not too bad on the eyes for a man. Quite the catch.”

Nigel felt his cheeks flush and he looked at his shoes. “Yeah, he’s… he’s fucking great.”

The two friends hugged each other warmly and Nigel made sure the door was closed properly as Darko left. He ran a hand through his hair, the beer settling nicely in his stomach as it started to take control of his system. That would either made talking to Adam easier or a thousand times harder.

Soft footsteps emerged from the bedroom down the hall and, by the time Nigel looked up, Adam was just out of reach with his arms crossed over his chest. He looked so childish with his cheeks puffed out in annoyance that Nigel cringed, knowing that he was about to get a lecture.

“Three hours, Nigel.”

“Baby, I –“

“He barged in here and just sat down and wouldn’t stop talking. I thought it was you when I heard the knock but it wasn’t so I was trapped with that man in the kitchen. My phone was on the sofa so I couldn’t alert you and he just wouldn’t stop talking. You were gone for _three hours,_ Nigel!”

Nigel swooped in, pulling Adam close by the waist, and kissed along his face tenderly. “I’m sorry, baby. I didn’t even know he was in the fucking country.”

Adam shifted when Nigel reached his lips, “You taste like beer.”

“Sorry.”

“No you aren’t.”

“No, I guess I’m not.”

“Which means you lied.”

“Sparrow –“

“Are you even going to tell me who he was? Who Gabi is? Or are you going to lie like you did just –“

Nigel interrupted him with another kiss and picked him up, carrying his sparrow into the living room and sitting him on the sofa. “Adam, darling, take a fucking breath.” Nigel knelt down before Adam. “Darko’s an old friend from Romania. We used to do fucking everything together. Girls, blow, fights… I haven’t heard from him in years.”

“Then how did he find you?” Adam brought his knees up to his chest and hugged them. Nigel couldn’t see any signs of panic but drew soft circles with his thumb on Adam’s shin to try and dispel his anxiety.

“His wife heard your name in a recommendation. Darko may be a fucking prick, but he’s trustworthy, baby, believe me. I’ve taken more than one fucking bullet for the guy and I’d do it again without a doubt. We can trust him.”

“And Gabi?”

Nigel tensed and pressed his forehead against Adam’s leg. “It’s a long story.”

“I’m listening, Nigel.”

“It’s a _long_ fucking story for _another_ fucking time, okay? I don’t want to think about all that right now.” Adam made that fucking displeased noise again and Nigel groaned with exasperation, “Baby, _please_? It’s been a long day of fucking stupid people in stupid places and fucking groceries and Darko…”

“Another time.”

“Thank you.”

“So what was it that you promised to discuss with me? I’m not interested in a _ménage à trois_ , no matter who that man was.”

Nigel nearly had another heart attack as a laugh burst from his chest, “Jesus fuck, Adam, no. Fucking Christ, no. Darko has a business plan. He wants us to help him move about twenty-five kilos of coke to Romania and he’ll give us half of the profits.”

Adam raised an eyebrow.

“Three-point-eight.”

The noise Adam made this time was neither one of approval nor disproval as he uncurled himself and stood. Nigel watched as his precious sparrow went towards the kitchen and it took only a moment before he followed.

“Sparrow, it’s an easy job. All Darko wants is someone to keep tabs on the containers. Look, he’s done more for me than you can fucking imagine, and for once I’m in a spot where I can return the fucking favour.”

“I need to think. I would want to be sure the shipment wasn’t compromised in any way. I would also need to know the complete contents before doing anything.”

“So we’ll do it?”

“I haven’t said yes, Nigel.”

Nigel groaned and nuzzled the back of Adam’s neck, slipping his arms around his waist.

“I haven’t said no, either. I need to think about it.”

Nigel let go and sat heavily at the table.

Adam sighed and turned, leaning against the counter, “If I can sort it out, will you be going alone to make the deal?”

“Darko is making the deal. I’ll be playing bodyguard.”

“Is he expecting a problem?”

“No. He’s asking me along because it’s fucking Darko and he’s fucking nostalgic.”

“Okay.”

“Okay?”

“ _Okay_. Just promise you’ll come home when you’re done.”

“Yes. Jesus, yes, sparrow. I fucking promise. I’ll come home and do whatever the fuck you want. Christ, Adam, thank you.”

Adam sat in Nigel’s lap, curling against his chest, “And don’t leave me alone with him again. He’s loud and I don’t enjoy his company.”

“Of course, baby. I’m meeting him and the supplier on Friday. Other side of the fucking city if I know anything about Darko. We won’t bother you at all while you work out the shipment details.”

“Hmm.”

“What’s wrong, sparrow?”

“I have a bad feeling about him, Nigel.”

“Most people do.”

“So why associate with him?”

“You know what? Sometimes I don’t even fucking remember.”

Of course, that was because the two of them were typically so fucking high that neither of them could remember the other’s name. But Adam didn’t need to know that. Nigel could fill him in on the rest once Darko and his shipment were back in Romania and Nigel had gotten this desperate hunger for the good old days out of his system.

Hell, if he played his cards right, Adam would never even know.


	2. A Splash of Red at the Club

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _"You, uh, hear anything from Gabi?" Nigel asked, voice hesitant as he glared into his second whiskey._
> 
>  
> 
> _He could hear Darko's raised eyebrow in his friend's tone, "So you are curious."_
> 
>  
> 
> _It wasn't a question so Nigel didn't dignify it with an answer._

Friday night came and Adam was _not happy_. His arms were crossed over his far-too-large sweater and his brow was creased as he furrowed it in displeasure at Nigel – who was weirdly preening in front of the bathroom mirror.

“Don’t give me that fucking look,” Nigel sighed, not for the first time since Darko had graced their apartment with his slimy presence. Nigel turned around, arms held out in request for approval. “What do you think?”

Adam couldn’t deny that Nigel looked good; the slate grey dress shirt buttoned to the top – save for the collar button – and freshly dry-cleaned suit jacket with matching pants that probably hadn’t seen the light of day since Nigel had come to New York. Adam had wrinkled his nose at how dusty it had been, but now he wrinkled it at the thought of where Nigel was going.

“What? You don’t like it?” Nigel spun in place to look himself over again. He thought he cleaned up pretty nicely.

“I don’t like you going out with him.”

Nigel paused, stopping his fingers as they fiddled with the long bits of his hair, and turned back around, “Baby, we’re not _going out_. We’re fucking _working_. It’s a favour for a friend who feels like paying us for it. I won’t be out late.”

“It’s already late.”

“I’ll be home in time to wake you up in the morning the way you like.”

Adam made the noise in his throat that was starting to annoy Nigel to death, and Nigel noticed the way his arms tightened around himself. He choked back a groan and pulled Adam into his chest, where Adam buried his nose in the soft fabric of the dress shirt.

“Darko’s a dirt bag, but he’s not a bad… Well, yeah, okay, he’s a fucking piece of shit, but he’s always had my back. It’ll be okay. No problems, I swear.”

Adam grabbed at the lapels of Nigel’s jacket, feeling the tension in the fabric as it pulled taught over Nigel’s sidearm. His stomach knotted. It was hard enough to consider all that could go wrong on an international scale, a scale that left Adam entirely helpless, but here in the city was another story. If something went wrong, Adam knew full well that there were things he could do to help, but he also knew that he was mentally incapable of any of those things. It made him nervous. And Nigel felt it instantly. Nigel nuzzled into Adam’s soft curls, smelling that same wild-flower scent that was just Adam. He closed his eyes, as did Adam, and the two just stood there in a tender embrace before the burner in Nigel’s breast pocket began to vibrate.

“Time to go, baby,” Nigel smiled, gently pushing Adam away.

“Kiss me. For good luck.”

“I’m gonna fucking kiss you anyway, baby.”

“I know that, but in a movie I watched –“

“We’re not Bonnie and fucking Clyde, Adam,” Nigel almost laughed. He was so goddamn innocent sometimes, it was incredible. Leaning down and cupping Adam’s face, Nigel kissed him sweetly, knowing that tenderness would help Adam chill the fuck out. “I’ll be home before sunrise.”

“Will you keep your promise?” Adam’s voice shook as Nigel reached the door.

“To be back before sunrise? Of course I fucking –“

“Not in the house.”

It took Nigel a moment to understand the exact meaning behind Adam’s tone, but he nodded all the same, “Not in the fucking house.”

That seemed enough to satisfy Adam and Nigel headed to meet Darko.

 

“What’s got you all fucking moody? You blue-balling or something?”

Nigel shook out of his thoughts, “What? No. Fuck you.”

“The what the shit is it?” Darko spared a glance from the road to look at Nigel, who was glaring out at the lights of the New York skyline as they drove through the city.

“Nothing.”

“ _Rahat_.”

Nigel sighed, “You say a fucking _word_ and I will make you crash this goddamn car. Clear?”

“As a newly purchased glass dildo.”

“Darko.”

“Alright, alright! I got it. Not a fucking word.”

“No blow for me tonight.”

“ _What_?!”

Nigel threw out an arm to prevent smashing his face against the fucking dashboard as Darko slammed on the breaks and glared over at him. There was a mass eruption of other cars honking and Nigel stuck his finger out the window as Darko began to drive again – remembering where he was.

“You can’t do this to me, man! This is supposed to be like old times!”

“I fucking know that, dickhole,” Nigel pinched the bridge of his nose and fished out the fresh pack of cigarettes he’d brought with him. “Rules are fucking rules.”

“You keep your ex-wife’s name, you let your goddamn boyfriend call the shows when he isn’t even fucking here… Fuck, man, it’s like I don’t even know you anymore.”

It was feeling like Nigel didn’t even know _himself_ anymore. “’Not in the house’,” he quoted, lighting a cigarette and taking a long drag. “Usually that means no fucking coke in the apartment, but this time he meant, ‘Don’t come home high’.”

“Why?”

“Probably because he doesn’t trust you.”

“I meant why is it different this time?”

“I don’t know. The way he fucking said it.”

“Fuck that.”

“Doesn’t work that way, man. He once kicked me out for over a fucking week because I cleaned my gun on the table.”

“Seriously?”

“Well, kinda. I got pissed and stormed out after the fight. My fucking point is I can’t just say fuck it.”

“You know it isn’t breaking the rules if he changed them without telling you.”

Nigel groaned.

“It’s gonna look bad, man.”

“Remind me who I’m trying to fucking impress.”

“He’s a supplier. Used to deal with the Duke through a Serb named Milo, who fucked everyone over and fled like a bitch. He wants new business partners and I’m interested in his shit.”

“You sure it’s legit? Most of those Danes will put fucking baking soda up their nose if you tell them it’s coke.”

“Of course it’s legit. I’ll be the one cutting it when it gets back to Romania. You’re seriously killing my buzz and we haven’t even gotten to the booze yet.”

Nigel shook his head and threw the cigarette butt out the window. “Sorry, man. Let’s fucking go.”

“That’s the Nigel I know and love.”

“Easy, Darko. You’re sounding fucking queer again.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. Am I stealing your rainbow fucking spotlight?”

“You’re just jealous that tight little ass is all mine.”

“Marina won’t even let me near her ass.”

The pair of them laughed and Darko cranked the stereo.

 

It wasn’t long before they reached the club. It was flashy and neon just like any other place Nigel had ever been to, but the bouncers openly wore Rolexes from what Nigel could see, and that meant nothing but class. The lineup of tramps went on way too fucking long to be anything less.

“So many hot pairs of tits waiting outside. You sure this isn’t a fucking gay bar?” Nigel teased as they skipped the line.

Darko rolled his eyes and chattered with a bouncer in fucking Russian of all languages. The stupid conversation took far longer than Nigel wanted but they were let in all the same. They b-lined for a booth in a corner that gave them a perfect view of the stage and the dance floor.

“Fucking Russians, Darko? Really?”

“Just the bouncers. Look at this fucking place, though, man. _Dumnezeul meu_. American titty bars are fucking beautiful.”

“I need a fucking drink,” was all Nigel said.

“Does His Majesty allow the knights to drink on duty?”

“How many times do I need to tell you to fuck off?”

“I will take that as a yes.” Darko smirked and waved over a pretty brunette who looked far too young to be working in a place like this. He whispered something in her ear and she nodded before hurrying to the back.

“Where’s your guy?”

“Not here yet. I told the girl to bring us to them when they arrive.”

“She looks like a fucking infant,” Nigel mused, eyeing the waitress cautiously. “Think she’d even know what th-…wait. _Them_?”

“ _Dracu, Nigel_ ,” Darko huffed, slamming a hand on the table. “You should know how this fucking works after the _hundreds_ of times we’ve done it in Bucharest!”

Nigel glared at him.

“Obviously this guy isn’t coming alone. I’d say two, max. This is a dance club, not an alleyway so I doubt they’d risk making a mess.”

“You sure about that?”

“Look, I heard about what happened with the Duke and that shit got really messy _really_ fucking fast. Danes are fucking nuts when drugs are involved. I pulled my people out of there fast as I fucking could.”

Nigel went to speak again, to raise more issues, but the waitress came over with a bottle of whiskey and two glasses, giving Nigel the time to reconsider his paranoia. With no more issues to raise, Darko changed the subject back to his business in Romania.

“You, uh, hear anything from Gabi?” Nigel asked, voice hesitant as he glared into his second whiskey.

He could hear Darko’s raised eyebrow in his friend’s tone, “So you _are_ curious.”

It wasn’t a question, so Nigel didn’t justify it with an answer.

“I dunno what happened to that Charlie fucker, but last I heard, Gabi has been in and out of Bucharest a lot lately. Apparently she’s a part of another orchestra or some shit that sends her all over the world.”

Nigel couldn’t help the smirk that tugged at the corner of his mouth at the knowledge of Charlie not getting his grimy little American hands all over his Gab-… A growl rumbled low and quiet in his throat at the thought. Gabi wasn’t his. Not any more. She was her own fucking person and Nigel had Adam now. Sweet, precious, innocent Adam. He thought of the dark curls, and large blue eyes, and the light freckles that dusted soft cheeks…

“Oi. Nigel.”

Nigel opened his eyes – not realizing he had closed them – to see Darko snapping in his face. “What?”

“You miss her.”

Nigel sighed.

“I wasn’t asking.”

“I fucking know that, asshole,” Nigel sighed again and ran a hand over his face. “I don’t even know why I asked.”

“Because you fucking miss her.”

“Only since you showed up in my fucking apartment. And now… Fuck, being here makes me think about the last time me and you were fucking around at your place. You were covered in girls and I had Gabi in my lap all fucking night.”

Darko just nodded, any kind of cockiness wiped from his face. Nigel suspected it was because Darko didn’t feel like getting decked in the fucking jaw.

Nigel downed the rest of the whiskey in his glass and slammed it back down on the table. He was starting to feel the warmth of the alcohol running through him already – mostly due to the speed with which he threw his drinks back – and felt all of his fucks drift away. “You brought some, yeah?”

Darko didn’t need an explanation. “Of course I fucking did.”

“Hand it over.”

“Why?”

“Because I want to draw pictures with it. Why the fuck do you think I want it?”

Darko’s sly grin crept slowly into place, “I thought Prince Charming said no.”

“You told me to say fuck it, so I’m fucking saying fuck it. I’m _especially_ saying fuck it if I’ve got to sit here all goddamn night and talk about my fucking ex-wife.” Nigel cringed as he finally said it out loud. “It’ll wear off by the time I get home.”

“You don’t need to tell me twice.”

Darko practically leapt to his feet as he finished off his own glass of whiskey and lead the way to the bathroom. Nigel grabbed the bottle of liquor still on the table, taking a big swig as he followed the other man through the crowd.

 

Nigel laughed as he leaned against the wall, sniffling and rubbing at his nose with the back of his hand while Darko coughed and laughed as he chocked on his own lines. It had been _years_ since Nigel felt this fucking giddy. It was as if all of the long forgotten memories of Darko had come rushing back all at once, and Nigel realized how much he missed his friend.

“Fuck, Darko, you forget how to do blow?”

“Fuck off, prick,” Darko laughed, tears forming in the corners of his eyes. “Give me that fucking bottle.”

Nigel passed him the whiskey, laughed just as hard. He couldn’t even remember what was so fucking funny.

“Alright, okay, pull it together. Our guy should be here soon.”

“He’d better fucking be. This is already taking too long.”

“No it isn’t. It’s not even fucking midnight yet.”

Nigel rolled his eyes, “Give me the goddamn whiskey back.”

“Hey Nigel,” Nigel looked at Darko as he tipped back the bottle, “you ever notice how much we fucking say ‘fuck’? It’s a fucking lot, man”

Nigel nearly choked on the whiskey as laughter bubbled up again in his chest, “Oh shit. You’re fucking right.”

The laughing fit started all over again and it took a solid two minutes for the men to get ahold of themselves and leave the bathroom to re-enter the dance floor. The pounding music beat in time with Nigel’s heartbeat and he felt like he did back in the old days. Back when no one even thought about telling him what to do. Back when everything felt good, and when it didn’t, he just drank a little more whiskey and snorted a little more blow until the good came back. As Nigel reminisced, the brunette waitress approached Darko and whispered something in his ear. Darko thanked her and lightly punched Nigel’s arm to get his attention.

“He’s here. She said they’re literally just on their way to the back.”

Nigel nodded and followed Darko’s lead to the back room, staying by his side. He twisted his neck, hearing the crack, and put his game face on as Darko knocked on the door. With all the coke and all the whiskey coursing through his veins, Nigel was ready for any possible outcome.

The door swung open, revealing a sketchy little room of cum-stained sofas, one man on the door and two more already sitting down. As Nigel’s intoxicated brain processed them, he felt his heart stop.

“Hello, Nigel.”

Nigel may have been ready for anything, but not this.

“H-hello, gorgeous.”

 _Anything_ but fucking _this_.


	3. Paint the Town White

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _"Hello, Nigel."_
> 
> _Her musical voice echoed in Nigel's ears, clear as a bell despite the ringing caused by the sudden absence of thumping music._
> 
> _"Hello, gorgeous."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> EDIT: Fuck I hated this chapter. Should be much smoother now.

Nigel had only a vague awareness of Darko greeting the man who sat on the couch. He heard their distant voiced, the name Karel, some laughter. He didn’t care. He wasn’t even listening. The entire world had disappeared as the woman Darko failed to notice stood up.

She was beautiful. Absolutely fucking _stunning_. Crimson hair the colour of blood and as vibrant as the goddamn sun. Blue eyes clearer than fucking diamonds, circled with smoky rings of navy eye shadow. Even from the doorway, Nigel could tell how soft her skin would be beneath his fingertips.

 _Dracu pe mine_ …

“Hello, Nigel.”

Her musical voice echoed in Nigel’s ears, clear as a bell despite the ringing caused by the sudden absence of thumping music. The room had gone quiet at her tone, and he sensed Darko tense while all eyes were on Nigel.

“H-hello, gorgeous.” Nigel’s lips were dry and he resisted the urge to lick them in the woman’s presence. In _Gabi’s_ presence. Gabi fucking Ibanescu.

“I’m missing something.” The man called Karel didn’t sound pleased, and Nigel had a feeling that he was also glaring. Not that Nigel gave a shit.

“Nigel was my husband,” Gabi said. “It was a long time ago.”

“I’m sorry, Gabi, did you say –“ Nigel cut himself off. He’d had this conversation before. “Nevermind.”

Gabi smiled sadly at him as he glared at the floor, kicking at a scuff, and turned to Darko, “It is good to see you again, Darko. How is Marina?”

“Quite the fucking surprise to see you here,” Darko grinned. “She’s fine. Although never quite as fine as you are.”

“Reunions are all well and good, gentlemen, but let’s get down to business, shall we?” Karel sounded tense and it made Nigel wonder if this supplier was fucking Gabi. A thought that balled his hands into white-knuckled fists.

“Of course, of course,” Darko said.

Nigel wandered over to the other sofa and sat down beside Darko, across from Karel and Gabi. The table between them was already covered in a thin layer of white powder and Nigel fought down his eyebrow that desperately wanted to rise. Had he really been away from deals like this long enough for a table covered in coke to throw him off? Maybe Darko was right about the whole “house pet” thing…

“To get right down to it, I heard you were looking for new business since that rat, Milo, tried to screw you and Smeden over back in Copenhagen. I’m in need of a new supplier back home and you came highly recommended.”

“Back home?”

“Bucharest,” Gabi chimed in. “Darko practically owns the whole city.”

“You flatter me, darling.”

“So you _don’t_ own the city,” Karel said coolly.

“Darko had the right people on the payroll,” Nigel tried not to growl. “You don’t need to buy off everyone to be the one in control.”

“Nice to see you haven’t changed, Nigel,” Gabi snickered and Nigel glared at her.

“Nor have you, angel. Is this one a tuba player as well?”

Darko grew uneasy beside Nigel and clapped his hands together before Gabi could spit anything back. “How about we give it a little taste and then work out a deal, yeah? I heard you make the best shit around, and I’d love to help you with your surplus problem.”

Karel smirked, clearly enjoying the stroke to his ego, “You seem confident I want to do business with you.”

“I never said I wasn’t confident. I respect your cliental and want to be a part of them. The Danes are on my personal list of people not to fuck with, and if they like your shit, I’m certainly fucking interested.”

Karel leaned back on the soda and rubbed at the stubble on his chin with a grin on his face. He seemed far too cocky for Nigel’s taste, but this wasn’t his deal. It was Darko’s and Nigel shouldn’t even be here. He shouldn’t be staring at Gabi. He shouldn’t be thinking about how beautiful she was, how soft her skin was, or how sweetly she smelled. He shouldn’t be trying to remember how musical her laugh was and how her smile could blind anyone near enough to see it.

No. Nigel should be at home with his sparrow. With Adam fucking Raki. Sapphire eyes and shy smiles. Marble skin with flushed, freckled cheeks…

Adam with his enforced routines.

Gabi with her freeness.

Adam with his judging glares and displeased fucking noises.

Gabi with her wild, reckless abandon.

“Nigel,” Darko elbowed him in the ribs, and he flinched back to reality. “You in?”

It took Nigel a moment to remember what he was doing, the shock of seeing Gabi still affecting him. He noticed the rolled up bill in Darko’s hand and took it without further hesitation. Barely looking at the table before him, Nigel happily went at the rails.

“Good shit?” Darko smiled.

Nigel smiled back, “Good fucking shit.”

The three men laughed as they cleared the table of any remaining white powder and move their private party back out to the main floor. Girls with big tits and pretty faces where all over Nigel as he got drinks for himself and Darko – making sure their tab was put on Karel’s. High as a fucking kite and drunker than any alcoholic in the entirety of New York, Nigel felt _good_. Honestly. He hadn’t felt this good in fucking ages.

Darko, who had been talking to Gabi, came back to Nigel at the bar and clinked their glasses together, “Looks like I don’t need your boy toy after all,” he laughed. “Turns out the shipment is already being stored in fucking Denmark, so between my guys and Karel’s guys, we can get it home no problem.”

“He’s fucking her,” Nigel said and Darko groaned as he followed Nigel’s gaze to where Gabi was laughing with Karel over her fluorescent pink martini.

“Nigel, don’t do that.”

“Do fucking _what_?” Nigel growled

“You know exactly what I mean.”

Nigel glared, “Did you know she was going to be here?”

“No.”

“You’re a fucking liar. I saw how you fucking smiled at her. You fucking knew.”

“Nigel, cool down, man. Remember what happened with fucking _Charlie_? She shot you when you tried to fucking murder him. Gabi didn’t love you then, and she sure as shit won’t fucking love you now if you pull that stunt again.”

Nigel growled again, a final warning from the back of his throat.

“Cut it out, man. She’s too busy fucking –“

Nigel grabbed Darko and bent him over the bar, “Don’t you fucking talk about her like that. You don’t know shit.”

“I know more than you do! Remind me, Nigel, how many fucking years has it been since you’ve even fucking seen her!”

“ _Obtine. Futut_.” Nigel let go of Darko and turned on his heel.

“Nigel! She isn’t yours anymore! What about your fucking boy toy?” Darko tried to get his friend to stop, but it was a useless attempt. Nigel was too wasted to give a flying fuck about anyone but himself.

Darko ran a hand over his face and sighed, hoping that Nigel wasn’t armed, or that, if he was, no one was stupid enough to make Nigel draw.

 

“Hey!” Nigel’s entire being radiated aggression as he approached Karel and Gabi.

“Hey, bro, do we have a problem? You look tense. Maybe some alone time with a nice pair of tits will help you relax.” Karel’s smug smile made Nigel’s pulse pound in his ears.

“Maybe you should fuck off so I can have a word with my wife.”

Gabi’s shoulders slumped in exasperation and Karel tensed.

“Did I fucking stutter?” Nigel spat.

“Gabi, I thought you said he was your _ex_ -husband,” Karel hissed.

“I did. He’s fucked up. This happens when he’s fucked up.”

Nigel laughed, cold and cruel, “Don’t sound so fucking bored, darling.”

“Karel, I’ll handle this. Go get Darko,” Gabi set down her martini as Nigel laughed again and Karel rolled his eyes. “Now, Karel. Unless you want to get shot.”

Karel muttered something Nigel didn’t care to listen to, and stormed off, leaving Nigel alone with his beautifully furious Gabriela Ibanescu.

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing, Nigel?”

“I could ask the same of you, darling.”

“Stop it, Nigel. You and I are nothing anymore.”

“Bullshit. You loved me in Bucharest. You loved me even while you were whoring yourself to _Charlie fucking Countryman_. Don’t you dare fucking lie to me while you hand around the bottom of the food chain.”

“I am _not_ lying.”

Nigel snickered.

“ _Stop it_ ,” Gabi spat again. “You’re trashed. You’re _angry_ and fucking trashed and you should leave before you get Darko into trouble.”

“Darko isn’t my goddamn problem.”

“And neither am I.”

“That’s where you’re wrong, darling. You have _always_ been my fucking business.”

“But you aren’t _mine,_ Nigel. I want to you leave.”

Nigel downed the rest of his drink and smashed the glass on the ground, “I’m not fucking leaving, Gabi.”

“Yes, Nigel, you are.” Darko had appeared at Nigel’s side, gripping his friend’s elbow.

Nigel was set to make a big scene, yelling and cursing and breaking anything within his reach. But by the time he was ready to move, Darko was already dragging him away.

“What the fuck is wrong with you?” Darko kept his voice low as he pulled Nigel through the crowd.

Nigel pulled his arm free and glared.

“You could have ruined everything! You _didn’t_ , but you could have.”

“So everyone still fucking wins.” Nigel made sure the bartender was occupied before he leaned over the counter and snatched a bottle of… Who was Nigel kidding? He didn’t fucking care what he grabbed so long as it was liquor.

“That’s not the fucking point.”

“What are you going to do about it?”

“Nigel –“

“Shut up,” Nigel said, face two inched from Darko’s as he snatched a dime bag from inside his friend’s jacket. “You got what you wanted.”

Darko’s next words were lost as Nigel drank from the stolen bottle and headed for the bathroom. He sighed and sat down, knowing that the only way to deal with Nigel was to wait it out.

 

Who fucking knew how long Nigel had been in the bathroom, but when he came out again he was giggling like a fucking five-year-old girl. The tension in him was gone once again, replaced with the nirvana of great cocaine. He found his way back to Darko, grinning like an idiot.

“About fucking time,” Darko said.

“Don’t start with that shit.”

“I wasn’t going to. Let’s get you home, man. You look like you rubbed a fucking powdered doughnut over your face.”

Nigel laughed properly, “You sound jealous.”

“Move. I want to actually get some sleep tonight.”

“I’ll miss you, man,” Nigel smiled, throwing an arm over Darko’s shoulders. “I’ll miss you like I miss the old days.”

Darko was relieved that happy-wasted Nigel had replaced possessive-asshole Nigel. It was actually looking like they were going to get out of there without an incident, until Nigel looked back over to the bar.

People had started to gather around the end of the bar to watch a rather heated fight. A woman with flaming red hair was holding her cheek and glaring furiously at a slightly taller man with messy stubble. A bar tender appeared to be trying to calm everyone down, but even a monkey could tell it wasn’t working. Karel had hit Gabi and was going to do it again, no matter what some bartender said.

Screw the bouncers that had probably been called over, Nigel wasn’t going to stand for this. He moved faster than seemed humanly possible for someone so trashed, and he threw a punch before Darko had a change to stop him.

There was music and screaming and cheering all around him as Nigel slammed his fist into Karel’s face. He was so high he was barely able to process what he was even doing, but even so, there were only two things on his mind.

One. Protect Gabi.

Two. This man was a piece of shit that deserved every landed punch.

“You keep your _fucking_ hands off of her, _dai dracu muist_ ,” Nigel swore, voice just as aggressive as his actions. He continued to curse, only vaguely aware of what he was saying. Only vaguely aware of the fight at all.

The cocaine that coursed through his veins made Nigel feel as if he was on fire and in heaven at the same time. His body was on autopilot, going through the motions while his mind was numb with euphoria. After what felt like a lifetime, Nigel could taste blood and felt and odd pressure on his cheek and shoulder.

“Nigel, _destul_ ,” Darko’s voice hissed in his ear, and he felt himself get dragged backwards, away from the bar. The two of them managed to make it outside and fucked into an alley away from the bouncers and other prying eyes. “What the _fuck_ do you think you’re doing?!”

“That prick put his fucking hands on Gabi!”

“Gabi has always been able to take care of herself! Besides, there were over a dozen other people ready to help. My deal may not fucking happen now! Is that what you want?”

Nigel snarled and grabbed the collar of Darko’s shirt, viciously shoving him into the wall, “ _Fuck your deal, Darko!_ As if anyone else would have _actually_ fucking done something!”

The two men glared at each other for several long moments of silence before a quivering smile broke onto Darko’s face, “You are _so_ fucked up right now, Nigel. What the shit, man? I thought you could hold your blow.”

Nigel let go of Darko and touched his nose, pulling away a hand covered in blood. He stared at the red liquid for a moment before laughing, “ _Fuck, man_. This can’t just be from the fucking coke.”

“It isn’t, you moron. It’s from getting punched in the fucking face.”

“Shit, really? I didn’t even fucking feel it.”

“Because you’re wasted as fuck!”

The two of them laughed again until they were interrupted by the click of heels down the alleyway pavement. Darko looked up and whipped at a non-existent tear, to see Gabi standing before them.

“You,” he continued to giggle, “need to not be here.”

“That is not your decision to make, Darko,” she said. It was hard to tell if she was angry or not. It always was. “How is your nose, Nigel?”

Nigel looked over at her, eyes glinting with amusement even though he no longer smiled, “Are you going to kiss it better?”

Gabi rolled her eyes.

“I’ve had a lot worse, gorgeous. You know that better than anyone.”

“What do you want, Gabi? I need to get this fucker home before his play toy gets worried.”

Gabi raised an eyebrow but said nothing as Nigel elbowed Darko sharply in the ribs. “I wanted to thank Nigel. And to ask him if he wanted to –“

“Don’t talk like I’m not fucking here,” Nigel slurred, he was starting to feel drowsy. “If it’s a quick one you want, all you need to do is ask.”

Both Darko and Gabi rolled their eyes this time. “Nigel, we’re done. We have been done for a long time and you need to get that through your cocaine smothered brain. _However_ ,” she added, “you beat the shit out of Karl and I am grateful. I want to make it up to you before I leave for Berlin.”

“Berlin?”

“Not the point, Nigel. I’m offering you lunch.”

“Scarpetta. Tomorrow at one. You still enjoy Italian, don’t you, gorgeous?”

Gabi smiled softly and nodded in agreement. “Don’t be late,” she said and turned quickly to head back towards the club.

“She wants me,” Nigel smirked once she was around the corner.

“You fucking wish,” Darko said.

“I mean it.”

“So do I.”

They laughed again as Nigel slumped against Darko, and they carefully made their way back to Darko’s car.


	4. The Angry Little Sparrow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Never in the house.
> 
>  
> 
> _That was always the rule._
> 
>  
> 
> Adam is _never_ going to forgive me...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> EDIT: THIS CHAPTER WAS EVEN WORSE THAN THE LAST!

Darko drove them back to the West Village, and they laughed all the way there. It was like they were drunken teenagers all the way up to Nigel’s apartment. Nigel tried to shush Darko, but was too forgone, himself, to actually do any good.

“You good, man?” Darko asked, letting go of the unsteady Nigel. “Because you look like shit.”

“I’m fucking fantastic, man,” Nigel replied as he opened the door of the apartment. “Abso-fucking-lutely fantastic.”

“If you say so, man. Now go get cleaned up before Prince Jailbait sees you.”

Nigel froze. He’d completely forgotten about Adam.

“Nigel?”

“You need to go. He’s gonna be awake back there and…” A door squeaked softly within the apartment and Nigel’s voice died in his throat.

“Call me in the morning to prove you’re not dead.”

Nigel could barely nod as Darko left. His head was racing, mostly from the coke, but not without a sense of dread as well. Nigel had _forgotten_ about _Adam_. He’d been so distracted by Darko, by Gabi, by a table covered in with cocaine that brought back every hazy memory of every crazy night back in Bucharest. How could he have been so carelessly fucking _stupid_?!

“Ah hem.”

Nigel spun around far too quickly and had to lean back against the door to keep himself from face-planting at Adam’s feet.

“It is almost three o’clock in the morning, Nigel. And you are covered in blood.”

Nigel’s throat seized and he couldn’t speak. He felt dizzy, sick. Too much coke and to much liquor and he forced himself to hold it all back. He would let himself lose it in front of Adam.

“Is it yours?”

“I-is what mine, darling?”

“The blood.”

“Yes.”

Adam pursed his lips and Nigel was seeing double as he swallowed, his whole mouth dry.

“Adam –“

“I don’t want to hear your excuses.”

“Baby, I –“

“I said don’t.” Adam’s voice shook and his tone was harsh and cold. It had been a long time since Adam had spoken to him like that. “How intoxicated are you?”

Nigel stepped forward and immediately regretted the action. The room was spinning and Nigel had to put a hand on the wall to steady himself. He could barely register that Adam was even talking.

The action seemed to be enough of an answer for Adam and he crossed his arms tightly over his chest (or maybe they had already been crossed) and shook his head. “You may get cleaned up, and then I want you to leave.”

That got Nigel’s attention. “What?”

“I don’t want you to stay here tonight.”

“Adam,” Nigel began to protest, but Adam cut him off.

“You broke your promise and now I don’t know if I trust you or if I even want to.”

Nigel winced at the words.

“You promised you wouldn’t come home like this.”

“I _promised_ I wouldn’t get high in the house! That’s what ‘not in the house’ fucking means!” Nigel couldn’t stand this. Why was Adam being so ridiculous? Nigel had come home ripped out of his mind before, and he’d come home _angry_ before. Nigel had broken things in a drug-fueled rage and Adam hadn’t protested until Nigel hogged the bathroom to be sick the following morning or if he’d missed some ruble when cleaning. “It was _business_ , Adam! You should fucking _know_ how this works by now!”

Adam flinched at Nigel’s raised voice, but puffed out his tiny chest all the same, “That doesn’t matter. You should have known what I meant.”

“You can’t be fucking serious.”

Adam held his ground, trembling slightly.

“For _fuck’s sake_ , Adam! You’re acting like this is the end of the fucking world!”

“You are _covered_ in blood and there is white on your collar. You swore there wouldn’t be any problems. The bruise on your face and your scraped knuckles say there _was_ a problem.”

“I told you it was _my_ blood!” Nigel thought of Karel. “…Mostly.”

“You lied to be again, and now I can’t trust you to tell me the truth about what happened. I don’t want to see you when I wake up.”

Nigel swore. Loudly and aggressively. He wanted to throw a punch. He wanted to tell Adam off for his ridiculous rules. He wanted to argue how Gabi never gave a fuck about what he did when he was out so long as he came home in – mostly – one piece. Nigel was ready to lose his fucking mind until he met Adam’s gaze. Sapphire eyes were sparkling with tears, but Adam was doing a great job at keeping them from spilling over. Nigel would have been proud if it was any other fucking situation. It made him remember that Adam was hurting, that even Gabi _had_ cared about how fucked up he got. The guilt hit Nigel hard as he nodded.

“Fine,” he said quietly, and made his way past Adam to the bathroom.

 

Nigel managed to turn on the light before his knees gave out and he fell on his face. He barely had time to reach the toilet before he unloaded, each heave of his stomach more painful than the last. He finished and slumped back, dragging himself across the floor to lean against the bathtub. Ad his breathing evened out, Nigel reached into his jacket and pulled out a cigarette. He placed it on his lips before pushing his blood-slicked hair out of his face and went for his lighter. The burn of the smoke in his throat was like swallowing glad, but he needed _something_ to steady his hands.

 _Never in the house_.

That was always the rule, no matter the variation. But not that rule had been broken and Nigel was forced to struggle with how the fix things.

 _Adam is_ never _going to forgive me_ , he thought angrily and fisted his hair in self-loathing. He still felt sick, and the cigarette wasn’t helping. He dropped the butt into the toilet and dry-heaved, his stomach already empty. It took all Nigel had to stay conscious. Not a good sign, but Nigel chalked it up to being punched in the face more times than he probably realized. After a moment, Nigel carefully pulled himself to his feet. The room swayed but he ignored it as he went to wash the blood from his face and brush the taste of vomit from his tongue.

It felt like hours before the water stopped running red, and he still looked like shit.

 _Good_ , he thought bitterly. _I_ should _look like shit_.

He fisted his hair again and it crunched softly in his fingers. He forgot how nasty it was, but there wasn’t really time to shower. Besides, Adam wouldn’t be happy to hear Nigel taking his sweet time. Fighting the urge to punch the mirror, Nigel left the room and went to the guest bedroom to grab a duffle bag and a change of clothes. He left the blazer and his gun on the floor by the closet, not caring about them anymore, and threw on his leather jacket before stuffing the first set of clothes he saw into the bag. He double-checked his wallet for his untraceable credit cards, grabbed his smokes, and scribbled a note in his terrible handwriting about how plans had changed with the deal. Slipping the note under the door of the master bedroom and promptly left the apartment.

 

Adam was curled into a ball under his weighted blanket. His head hurt, and his eyes stung from all the crying. He couldn’t believe Nigel’s behavior. He was furious at Darko. He was worried about this Gabi.

All Adam wanted right now, all he _needed_ right now, was Nigel to hold him. To kiss away his tears and tell him that everything was going to be all right. But he couldn’t have any of that. He couldn’t ignore how upset Nigel had made him by coming home in such a mess. Of course it wasn’t the first time, but that was before they had become so attached to one another. Back before Nigel had let himself be tender and sweet and loving.

He heard Nigel being sick, the flush of the toilet, and the running of the sink. A faint whiff of smoke drifted into Adam’s nose as he heard the bathroom door open and Nigel’s heavy footsteps coming down the hall. The sounds of Nigel rummaging through the guest room were muffled, but Adam listened intently and desperately yearned for Nigel to ignore his wishes and stay in the guest room.

Adam felt tears in his eyes once again as a paper was pushed under the door and the click of the front door locked echoes through the empty apartment.

 

Nigel woke with a start the next morning with a throbbing headache and only a hazy sense of where he was. Every inhale felt like breathing in glass shared, and every swallow tasted like vomit and cigarettes. It wasn’t until his groping the sheets for Adam failed, that Nigel sat up and remembered where he was.

He was hung over. He was in a hotel. He was alone.

Nigel had somehow managed to check in okay, but had then promptly emptied the mini bar and been sick all over again. In all honesty, Nigel was surprised that he hadn’t entirely overdone it. Medically speaking, he was probably lucky to be breathing at all…

Glaring at the clock that read 10:53, Nigel crawled painfully from the bed and put on clothes that didn’t stink of vomit. He needed to see Adam. He needed to talk things through and make him understand what had happened… Nigel gathered up the rest of his things and headed to get a cab back home. To get back to Adam.

 

“Adam, come on. I know you’re there. Just open the door.”

Adam shook gently as he stood against the wall by the door. The knocking had been goring on for several minutes now and Nigel still hadn’t relented. Adam was trying his absolute best to see how sorry Nigel was, that even though he had a key to the apartment, Nigel wouldn’t come in until Adam said it was okay. But was it okay? How would Adam know if it was or not?

“Baby, please. Let’s talk.”

Adam sunk to the floor, rocking back and forth as he buried his face in his knees. “Go away, Nigel.”

In the hallway, Nigel’s heart sank as he laid his hand flat on the door. Frustration rose behind his eyes and he slapped the wood angrily. “Adam, open the _fucking_ door! You’re being unreasonable!”

“Leave, Nigel.”

“I’m not going to fucking leave! Just listen to me!”

A choked noise sounded from behind the door as Nigel slammed his fist against it again.

“For fuck’s sake,” he yelled, more to himself than to Adam. He looked at his phone – 12:14 pm, he had to go. “We’re not done here, Adam. Do you hear me? This isn’t fucking done.”

Nigel dropped his bag heavily at the door and stormed off down the hallway. Adam’s breathing was shaky and irregular, and he waited a minute before rising to his feet to open the door. He hoped to bring in Nigel’s bag and wrap himself in Nigel’s scent that would be heavy on his shirt from the previous night. But when Adam opened the door, he caught sight of a mispacked sleeve hanging from the bag… soaked through with more now-dried blood than Adam had remembered.

The ruined shirtsleeve had Adam’s heart racing and he fisted violently at his hair as he began to hyperventilate. He backed up into the apartment, tripping over his own feet and falling hard to the floor. Everything was so loud. Nigel was hurt and he had turned him away. Adam was going to be all alone because Nigel was going to bleed out in the gutter. Why was there so much noise? Why couldn’t Adam smell cigarette smoke? It was lunchtime. Where was Nigel? Nigel was dying somewhere and it was Adam’s fault. Where was he?

“What the shit?”

The voice sounded distant and distorted, drowned out by the loud ringing in Adam’s ears. _Why was it so loud_?

“Kid? Kid, hey! What’s wrong? Where’s Nigel?”

Where was Nigel? Why was the room getting dark?

“Kid? _Adam_!”

 

* * *

 

Cosplay for the chapter~

  


	5. Laundry, Lovers, Lunch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _“You look like shit.”_   
>  _“I wonder fucking why.”_

Nigel ran across the street, narrowly avoiding the taxi that laid on the horn as it went zooming past.

“Yeah, fuck you, too! _Nenorocit_.”

“Even sober you still haven’t changed.”

Nigel looked towards the door of Scarpetta and saw Gabi smiling at him in amusement, a cigarette held between beautifully long fingers.

“You look like shit.”

“I wonder fucking why,” Nigel hissed and passed her to go inside. Gabi tossed the remainder of the cigarette and followed as she wondered what has pissed Nigel off so early in the day. In her experience, Nigel usually didn’t get mad at people until the sun went down and the idiots came out.

They were seated by the window and Nigel snarled at the hostess until she gave up trying to tell them the specials. Now Gabi was _really_ curious.

“You are certainly in a lovely mood, Nigel. Did Darko steal your wallet again?”

Nigel growled, “Darling, I don’t have the fucking patience for this.”

“Which is why I’m asking. You spent all night acting like you wanted me back and all you’ve done is growl.”

He slouched over the table, clawing at his hair in frustration, “I got kicked out of my fucking apartment, okay? All because of last fucking night. _Dracului Darko_ …”

“I don’t believe any of last night was Darko’s fault.”

“He… he wouldn’t shut up about you.”

“Me?”

“Yes, fucking you, Gabi. I left all that shit behind when I got to this goddamn city.”

“Darko told me you use my name, Nigel _Ibanescu_.”

Nigel groaned from his face down position on the table.

“Why use _my_ name?”

Nigel sat up, “It had more pull on jobs and I didn’t feel like coming up with something else later. Look, Gabi, my fucking angel, I can’t do this. I can’t talk like this. I need to go fucking home and deal with the person who actually matters.”

Gabi raised an eyebrow.

“Fuck, I didn't… _Fiu de curva nenorocita!_ Gabi, I’m not…” Nigel sighed, there was no easy way of doing this for Nigel. “Adam… His name is Adam.”

“You’re joking.”

“Don’t look at me like I’m a fucking fa-… I’m not fucking gay. I don’t know how to say it… He’s just –“

“Nigel, stop,” Gabi smiled, it was a once in a lifetime chance to see Nigel flounder like this, but Gabi had more mercy than he did. “You don’t need to explain.”

The relief on Nigel’s face was instant, “Thank you.”

“So why is he mad?”

Nigel explained everything to Gabi, including how he still believe her to be the ever the total fucking package. There was no point in denying how much he loved her, even now. Gabi would always be his angel, his musical savior. The only thing was that now Adam was his everything, and that wouldn’t change no matter how fucking high he got. Adam fucking Raki made Nigel’s entire fucking world go round.

“You can’t expect him to just forgive you. It is never that simple.”

“Well it fucking should be.”

Gabi laughed,” You’re blind, Nigel. An apology is only more words, more promises to be broken. You need to show him it is more than that.”

 

“Adam? Adam, wake up. Jesus… Come on, kid.”

“Hnn…” Adam groaned. “Nigel…”

“Oh thank Christ.”

“Nigel?”

“No, kid.”

Adam blinked his eyes open. He was on the sofa in the living room. How did he get here? Why didn’t he remember? Where was Nigel?

“Kid, do you remember me?”

Adam looked to the side and saw Darko eyeing him. Panic began to grip him again as he pressed himself into the sofa, trying to get as far away from the man as he could.

“Hey, hey, hey, relax. I’m not going to hurt you. Breathe, kid.”

There was something soothing in the thick, familiar accent of Darko’s voice that dulled the fear running rampant through Adam’s mind.

“Okay,” Darko said, “let’s try this again. Where is Nigel?”

Adam shook his head, “I don’t know. I… I told him to leave.”

“Shit… I knew something was wrong when he didn’t call me.”

“Is he hurt that badly?”

“What? No, he’s fucking fine, kid. Probably just hung over as shit.”

Adam brought his knees up to his chest, “He came by to apologize but I didn’t listen. I was still mad and now he’s gone…”

Darko frowned, “Look, kid, it’s not like he’ll stay gone. Blackmail couldn’t keep him from Gabi, so I highly fucking doubt a stupid little fight will keep him from you.”

“Blackmail?”

Darko cursed under his breath, “That’s not really… Ask _him_ , kiddo. Make it a fucking bargaining chip or something. My fucking point is he loves you. It was my fault for letting him get so fucking carried away.”

Adam hugged his knees tighter, “Then why won’t he tell me about Gabi?”

“Because he loves her, too.”

That didn’t make Adam feel any better.

“Adam, you of all fucking people should know how his face looks when he sees you, or even fucking talks about you. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

Adam made a small noise in his throat.

“As for that bloodied shirt in your damn hallway, it was mostly from the coke, but he also beat up a fucking prick for slapping Gabi around.”

“Wait,” Adam perked up a bit, “Gabi is from New York?”

“No, she’s from Bucharest. She’s _in_ New York.”

“Oh,” Adam didn’t know how to react. To _any_ of this. Was there really so much that he didn’t know about Nigel?

 

“So you ditched Charlie and took up with a different kind of asshole,” Nigel teased.

“Oh, fuck you, Nigel. Charlie was a good person.”

“Where is he then? Learning to make puffy-fish faces?”

Gabi rolled her eyes but couldn’t hold in her laughter, “Not important.”

Having cleared the air and come clean about Adam, Nigel was enjoying lunch with Gabi. They had reminisced, catch each other up on all the years they had been apart, and Nigel was almost embarrassed by how stressed out he had been upon seeing her again. Not that he would admit _that_ to her.

“You know, Nigel,” Gabi said, finishing her meal, “I was wrong.”

“About what, darling?”

“You _have_ changed. It has been a long time since I have seen you so happy in a place where dancers and blow were not involved.”

Nigel laughed, “I would hardly call _this_ happy, darling. Contrary to what you may think, I don’t typically look like this.”

“Are you sure about that? The _last_ time I saw you, you were bleeding also.”

“Because you fucking shot me.”

“The _police_ fucking shot you, Nigel. _I_ missed.”

“Aim like Annie fucking Oakley, and you tell the victim you fucking missed.”

“I _did_!” Gabi laughed again, and the music of it was the sweetest thing Nigel had heard in ages.

 

Adam had permitted Darko to sit beside him on the couch and had calmed enough to uncurl himself as Darko rambled on about titty bars and the failed deal. Adam had enough information to understand Nigel’s behavior, but had also resolved that Nigel would have to recount the events himself before he could be forgiven.

“I want to see him now,” Adam interrupted as Darko had moved on to irrelevant information.

“You said you didn’t know where he was.”

“But you do.”

“… Yes,” Darko admitted. “I do… I –“

“I don’t need excuses or explanations. I need Nigel.”

“Scarpetta.”

“The restaurant?”

“I thought you didn’t want an explanation?”

“I don’t,” Adam said flatly, standing up. “But I would appreciate it if you drove. I don’t like taxi cabs.”

 

“How can you stand this weather?” Gabi shivered in the wind as she followed Nigel out of the restaurant.

“I fucking can’t. I could never take Adam out of New York, though.”

“That’s how you should make it up to him. Take him somewhere warm.”

Nigel laughed and lit a cigarette, “We’ll come to your fucking place back home then.”

“ _Chiar daca iad a fost rece,_ ” she said. “What _will_ you do, though?”

“I don’t know yet. I’ve got to get into my fucking apartment first.” Nigel paused. “Do you think he’ll give me the chance?”

“You really love him, don’t you?”

Nigel sighed, “Yes.”

“Then you should have nothing to worry about.”

Nigel met Gabi’s eyes and smiled. He had never loved her more in his life.

“What? What are you staring at?”

“The most beautiful fucking woman in the world.”

Gabi blushed and looked away.

“I fucking mean it, Gabi,” Nigel said, pulling her over to him and cupping her silky soft cheek to make her look at him. “ _Te iubecu,_ Gabi.” He leaned down and kissed her.

“ _Si eu te iubescu,_ Nigel,” she whispered back. “Even if you are the most horrible man in my life.”

“You flatter me, darling.”

They parted a little and Gabi giggled, but the sound was drowned out by the ridiculous screech of tires. Nigel winced, still too hung over to tolerate such a noise, and was surprised when he noticed the offending vehicle was Darko’s.

“Is that Darko?” Gabi asked.

“Yeah, but I –“ Nigel’s voice choked itself out as the passenger side door burst open and Adam stumbled out onto the sidewalk.

“Nigel!” he called, running towards him and Gabi.

“Adam,” Nigel was barely able to say as Adam leapt into his arms. He dropped the cigarette and wrapped his arms tightly around his sparrow’s waist, kissing him with as much feeling as he was able to muster. “Christ, baby,” he finally said, still kissing Adam between words, “where’s your fucking coat? You’re going to get a fucking cold.”

“He was too desperate to see you,” Darko said, coming around the car.

“Nigel relaxed his grip and looked at Adam, “I’m so sorry, sparrow. Christ, Adam, let me fucking make it up to you. Let me make up for _everything_. I’ll do whatever you fucking want.” He studied his sparrow’s face, tears had left his eyes puffy and his cheeks blotchy and red, and there was a small bruise on his temple. “Sparrow, what happened?” he asked, concern clear in his voice. “Are you alright?”

Adam winched as Nigel lightly ran his thumb over the small purple circle, but didn’t care about that, “Come home, Nigel. If you’ll do whatever I want, just come home.”

“As you fucking wish, baby.”

Nigel pulled Adam as close as he could and kissed him again. Instantly, Adam gripped Nigel’s hair, standing on his toes to kiss him back, vigorously. It had felt like days since he’d kissed Nigel and had no intentions of stopping. After a moment, Nigel tasted salt and pulled back again.

“No tears, sparrow. No crying right now.”

“Take me home, Nigel.”

“Get a fucking room,” Darko smirked from by the car.

“Maybe we fucking will,” Nigel called back. “What do you say, sparrow?”

“I already said, take me home, Nigel.”

“That you did. Get in the fucking car. Let’s go home.”

Adam smiled and climbed into the back of Darko’s car while Nigel turned to find Gabi.

“She took off when the kid jumped you. Which was the gayest fucking thing I’ve ever seen, by the way.”

Nigel was sorry Gabi had left without saying goodbye, but they had had their moment. It was Adam’s turn. “Oh Darko,” Nigel smirked, coming over to Darko and clapping him on the shoulder, “you haven’t seen shit.”

Darko’s face dropped slightly as Nigel climbed into the back with a wink, “Please don’t fuck in the car!”

The door closed as Nigel laughed.

“Oh, for fuck’s sake, Nigel!”


	6. A Better Way to Vent

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _“I’m so mad at you, Nigel.”_   
>  _“I know, baby,” Nigel breathed as Adam dropped down harshly._   
>  _“I’m so mad. You lied to me,” Adam began to move faster. “You came home wasted when I told you not to.”_

With a vague promise to be in touch, Nigel and Adam bolted from Darko’s car the moment they were outside the apartment. They ran across the lobby towards the elevator where Nigel pounded on the close button and Adam pressed against him. The second the doors closed, Nigel pushed Adam back against the wall and pinned him there, grinding against him while kissing him with sloppy aggression.

“Fuck, sparrow,” he whispered, “I missed you so much.”

“I’m still mad at you, Nigel,” Adam whimpered as Nigel bit as his jawline. “I am still very mad at you.”

Nigel growled with need, “Show me.”

The doors opened and Nigel felt like he couldn’t run fast enough to their door. His hands shook as he forced his keys into the locks, and pulled Adam inside the moment he got them open.

Adam was in his arms not a second later as they kissed and stripped in an awkward dance down the hallway. It was taking far to long for Nigel, so he picked Adam up and carried him the rest of the way to the bedroom. He dropped the smaller man onto the bed and went to take off the rest of his clothes.

“Wait,” Adam said and Nigel looked up at him hungrily. “I’m still mad.”

“You already said that, darling.”

“You tell me what to do when you’re mad.”

Nigel raised an eyebrow and smirked, “Are you going to tell me what to do, baby?”

“Yes.”

Nigel made a bizarre sound in his throat that made Adam smile mischievously.

“Stay there. And keep your pants on,” Adam commanded, wiggling free of his own slacks. His half-hard cock lay against his stomach as he tossed the clothes uncharacteristically on the floor. “Fold them.”

Nigel wasn’t sure if this is what he had in mind when Adam said he wanted to call the shots, but he did as he was told, folding the pants and setting them back down on the floor. When he looked up again, he made noise as he saw Adam stroking himself, eyes half-lidded as his cock twitched to full sail. Adam bit down on his lip and mewled as a shiver went down his spine.

Nigel went to remove his own pants again, the zipper pressing painfully against his own cock.

“No,” Adam breathed. “I want you to watch. No touching.”

Nigel whined and stayed rooted to the spot while Adam writhed on the bed before him. How he desperately wanted to touch, to kiss, to bite. Nigel would have killed a man just to have that sweet cock in his mouth.

“A-ah,” Adam moaned, arching up off of the bed.

“Fucking hell, Adam,” Nigel breathed, fists turned white at his sides.

“N-nigel!” Adam gasped, small fist tightening around his cock as he stroked himself faster. Nigel was helpless and whined, eyes wide and hungry as Adam called his name again and streaks of hot, white cum covered his pale chest.

Adam’s breathing was heavy as Nigel felt like his zipper was _actually_ going to kill him, “Adam, I –“

“Take off your pants,” Adam interrupted, panting heavily. “I want you to clean me up.”

Nigel felt his breathing hitch as Adam ran a sticky hand over his sticky chest. He had never seen this side of his sparrow before, his angel, and he had to admit: he fucking loved it. He said nothing as he promptly removed the rest of his clothes and crawled on top of Adam.

He started with his fingers, carefully licking each digit the same way he’d lick as Adam’s cock, pornographic and lewd. He kissed up soft arms to Adam’s collarbones, nipping here and there as he worked down Adam’s chest. The salty taste of cum filled Nigel’s mouth as he took his time, tweaking and biting on sensitive nipples until Adam arched into his touch.

From there Nigel continued south and nuzzled against soft curls at the base of Adam’s cock. Adam had grabbed Nigel’s hair and tightened his grip in the brown strands.

“No,” he whispered and Nigel looked up.

“Tell me what you want, baby.”

Adam met Nigel’s hazel eyes and bit his lip, making Nigel’s cock twitch. “Use your fingers first. Like when you tell me to use my fingers.”

Nigel smirked and put his fingers in his mouth, slurping loudly on them as Adam watched with wide eyes. Nigel made Adam hold his gaze as he slipped one of his fingers against that tight ass of his. Adam’s mouth opened slowly into an “O” as Nigel took his sweet time getting his finger all the way in.

“Like this, baby?”

“Y-yes,” Adam choked out. “S-slowly.”

The snail’s pace was aggravating for Adam, so used to Nigel’s merciless pace, but he had learned enough to know that this was also hard for Nigel to hold it together. It was a power move that Adam was enjoying, knowing just how much Nigel was lusting after him. Nigel growled as he carefully inserted a second finger and watched Adam growing hard again. In and out, his fingers scissored him slowly, twisting and stretching and absently searching for Adam’s prostate.

“Blow me,” Adam whispered, head falling back against the pillows.

“With fucking pleasure, sparrow,” Nigel said, shifting so he could continue to finger Adam while also sucking him off. He groaned the moment Adam’s cock was in his mouth, loving everything about it from the taste to the feeling of it. With practiced skill, Nigel bobbed his head and soon had the entirety of Adam’s cock down his throat.

Adam whined at the stimulation and bucked his hips into Nigel’s mouth. His hands gripped desperately as Nigel’s hair and he moaned loudly as the fingers in his ass found what they were looking for.

“N-nigel,” he moaned. “R-roll over.”

Nigel let Adam’s fall from his lips and looked up him with confusion, “Baby –“

“Switch places with me.”

Nigel did as he was told, removing his fingers from Adam’s ass as the two of them switched places on the bed. With Nigel on his back, Adam sat on his chest and Nigel groaned with pleasure. “Sit on my fucking face, baby.”

Gripping the headboard for balance, Adam fucked Nigel’s mouth as relentlessly as he could manage; venting his earlier frustrations and stress while Nigel groped his ass again. It felt _so good_ being the one in control. Being so aware that Nigel would listen to Adam’s every last demand like this.

“A-ah, Nigel,” Adam gasped, pulling from Nigel’s mouth with a violent twitch of his body. “I don’t want to cum yet.”

Nigel’s face was red and slick as pre-cum dripped onto his lips. “Tell me what you _do_ want, baby.”

“I want you to fuck me.”

Adam moved again, sitting over Nigel’s lap as Nigel lined up his cock with Adam’s entrance. “Ride me, baby. Go to fucking town.”

Adam sunk down slowly and Nigel tried to buck up until he saw Adam’s dominating stare, and held back. _Fuck_ this was good. Part of Nigel wanted to break promises more fucking often if it meant this version of Adam would come out to play.

“ _Dracu, vrabie_ ,” Nigel swore when Adam had fully sheathed him. “Christ…”

Adam began to rise again, taking it excruciatingly slowly, “I’m so mad at you, Nigel.”

“I know, baby,” Nigel breathed as Adam dropped down harshly.

“I’m so mad. You lied to me,” Adam began to move faster. “You came home wasted when I told you not to.”

“I know, baby.”

Faster, “You told me there wasn’t going to be a problem.”

“I know.”

Faster, “You told me you would fuck me in the morning.”

“Christ.”

“You told me you wouldn’t leave me alone with Darko.”

“Adam…”

“You broke all of those promises,” Adam moaned, the bed thumping loudly against the wall and he bounced on Nigel’s cock. It felt good to vent his feelings while Nigel was balls deep in his ass. It felt good to _literally_ ride out his emotions until they were all gone, replaced with the feeling of Nigel, Nigel, Nigel. Only Nigel.

“Fuck, baby,” Nigel arched his back, dragging blunt nails down Adam’s sides and leaving vivid red lines in their place.

“You broke your promises and I’m so mad and I want you to be in control now.”

Nigel didn’t need to be told twice as he flipped their positions, not missing a fucking beat as he pounded into Adam’s asshole. Adam screamed and arched off the bed, each strike to his prostate sending sparkling lights before his eyes as Nigel swore his love, his apologies, begging forgiveness as he mercilessly fucked Adam into the sheets.

“C-cum, Nigel. I want to feel you cum.”

Nigel growled and bit down, hard, on Adam’s lip, kissing him and growling and swearing all at once as he pumped his seed into Adam. It was so much. It was too much. It was so _good_. Adam didn’t last even a second longer and exploded over the both of them with moans muffled by Nigel’s kiss.

They twitch in unison, holding each other as tightly as they could, wrapped completely in the other’s embrace.

“I’m so sorry, Adam.”

“I love you, Nigel.”

“I fucking love you, Adam. I _fucking_ love you…”

 

They had fallen asleep for little more than an hour after their romp, and woke up feeling sweaty and gross with dry cum. Nigel got up first and carried Adam into the bathroom so they could shower together. Nigel barely took his hands off of Adam for more than a minute, afraid that if he did, Adam would ask him to leave again.

Clean, dried, and dressed, Adam and Nigel sat on the couch and talked things through. Nigel told him about Gabi, about Charlie, about everything that happened in Bucharest that Adam wanted to know. He told him about seeing her at the club and losing all sense of things. He told him that he still loved her, but that changed nothing about loving Adam. He loved Gabi in a different way, in a way that wasn’t good for either of them and Gabi knew that, too.

“She was my fucking everything, Adam. I can’t just forget about that. The difference is that she isn’t the one I’m sharing a bed with every night. She isn’t the one who… Fuck, Adam. It’s you I want. Only you.”

Adam nuzzled against him, enjoying the closeness after his earlier panic attack. “I forgive you, Nigel.”

Nigel held him tighter, kissing the top of his head as he buried his nose in dark curls.

“There’s one more thing,” Adam said.

“Anything, baby.”

“Darko mentioned something about blackmail during your marriage with Gabi.”

Nigel tensed.

“You don’t need to tell me about it right now – you have told me enough of what I wanted to know. I just want you to know that I know about it.”

“Did… Did Darko tell you what it was?”

“No.”

Nigel hummed.

“I’m hungry,” Adam said, changing the topic to make it clear to Nigel that they didn’t need to pursue this line of thinking any longer.

“What do you want?”

“Mac and cheese.”

Nigel laughed, “I should have fucking known.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Power Bottom Adam gives me life. I hope you have also enjoyed it.


	7. EPILOGUE: The Bird and the Angel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _“I never thought that Nigel would ever fall in love with a man. But I certainly never thought that man would be prettier than me.”_  
>  _She laughed and it made Adam's heart flutter. It really_ was _musical._

Days later, Nigel was twitchy after not leaving Adam’s side since coming home.

“I need to do something,” he said, ceasing his endless pacing of the living room while Adam worked away on his laptop.

They had stayed in touch with Darko, and Adam had managed to trace a different shipment of Karel’s and redirect it to Bucharest, vengeance for being a prick. Darko had been over the fucking moon when Nigel told him what Adam had done, but now Adam was dealing with covering their tracks so Karel wouldn’t be able to find his stolen coke.

“Baby, I can’t stay in this apartment.”

“Okay,” Adam said, rubbing his eyes and looking up.

“Seriously, I can’t stay here anymore.”

“Where do you want to go?”

“I don’t fucking know. Just out.”

“It’s cold outside. I’ll stay here.”

Nigel made a growling noise that Adam knew wasn’t directed at him. “I’m going for a walk. Might hit a dive bar.”

“Will you be –“

“Back for dinner?” Nigel finished, coming over to Adam and bending down to kiss his cheek. “Of fucking course.”

“Promise.”

“I promise.”

Adam hummed and went back to his laptop. “Take gloves, Nigel. It’s cold,” he called, just as he heard the front door close.

 

Hours passed and Adam was satisfied with his work. He put away his laptop and stretched out wondering what he could do while Nigel was still out. He wandered over to the bookcase, looking at his small collection of films when he heard a knock at the door. It didn’t make sense for Nigel to knock, but Adam thought maybe he had forgotten his keys. He made his way to the door and cautiously pulled it open.

“You must be Adam.” It was a woman. A beautiful woman. “I’m Gabi Ibanescu. Perhaps you have heard of me?”

Adam nodded.

“May I come in?”

“Nigel isn’t home,” Adam said.

“That should be fine,” Gabi smiled – it was a beautiful smile that lit up her whole face. “I wanted to speak with _you_.”

“Oh,” Adam was surprised. Even more surprised when he found himself moving out of the way so Gabi could come in.

“You know,” she said, looking around the apartment. “I never thought that Nigel would ever fall in love with a man. But I certainly never thought that man would be prettier than me.”

She laughed and it made Adam’s heart flutter. It really _was_ musical.

“May I?” she asked, pulling out a chair in the kitchen as Adam followed her. He nodded and she sat down, Adam following suit on the other end of the table.

“Before he left, Darko told me you had many questions about me.”

Adam nodded again.

“Perhaps it would be nicer for you if you got the answers directly from me.”

 

Holding a bouquet of roses for Adam, Nigel was surprised when he reached the apartment door and found it closed but unlocked. He opened it with a furrowed brow and was confused when he heard laughter sounding down the hall.

“Adam?” he called into the apartment.

“Kitchen,” Adam called back, laughter in his voice.

Nigel hesitantly made his way to the kitchen and his heart skipped a nervous beat when he heard the musical sound of Gabi.

“Nigel, Gabi came by to say hello,” Adam smiled as Nigel rounded the corner.

“Hello, Nigel,” she said. “This is not what I expected for your home.”

“Funny, Darko said the same fucking thing,” Nigel replied, taking off his coat and coming around the table to kiss Adam’s cheek. “Sorry for taking so long. I got these for you.”

“They’re very nice,” Adam smiled at the roses, “Gabi was telling me about the fights you had with her father.”

“Viktor was an ass.”

“No,” Gabi said, “ _you_ were an ass.”

Adam laughed and Nigel groaned with the roll of his eyes, looking for a vase to put the flowers in. “I thought you were supposed to be in fucking Berlin.”

“I changed my mind. I wanted to see New York.”

“And then lecture Adam about how I’m no good?”

“That’s not true. She was telling me funny stories.”

“Did she tell you about how she shot me?”

“No.”

“The _police_ shot you, Nigel,” Gabi said indignantly.

“Darko told me Gabi shot you.”

“Darko is full of shit. I shot _at_ Nigel. Never actually hit him. He wouldn’t be alive if I had.”

“Ever the angel of fucking mercy, Gabi,” Nigel said, voice thick with sarcasm as he dropped the bouquet into place in an old wine bottle.

“Adam, where is your –“

“The door at the end of the hall,” Nigel interrupted and Gabi nodded, standing and making her way to the bathroom.

“She’s very nice, Nigel,” Adam said, getting to his feet as well to stand by Nigel at the counter.

“Good to know you’re getting along with my ex-fucking-wife.” The words didn’t sting so much anymore as Nigel said them.

“I see why you fell in love with her.”

Nigel hummed and pulled Adam into a hug, “Don’t make me fight her for your affections, sparrow.”

“I never said _I_ was in love with her.”

“You didn’t have to,” Nigel teased, and added, “I’m kidding.”

Adam kissed him with a smile until Gabi came back down the hallway, “Will you stay for dinner, Gabi?”

“That depends,” she replied. “Nigel?”

“Sure. Why the fuck not. Hope you like mac and cheese.”

Gabi smiled with a raised eyebrow at Nigel while Adam prattled on about why mac and cheese was his favourite.

The kitchen soon smelled of roses and cheese and was filled with laughter and the occasion string of Romanian profanity, and Nigel had never been fucking happeier.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is officially the longest fucking thing I have ever written. It is also probably my favourite.
> 
> Many thanks to wwhiskeyandbloodd for being the reason I'm in this stupid fandom. Thanks to my squad on Twitter that gets so hyped over my stuff that it is pretty much the sole reason I keep writing it. Thanks to _every one of you fuckers in the comments_. But a very special thanks to "ACertainSparrow" for tolerating my incessant rambling and spasing over this fic. You are my Gabi and my Adam to my very crazy Nigel.


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